Why a 719-kilometre stretch of Canadian highway became a symbol of systemic tragedy

Cultures · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Highway of Tears, a corridor between Prince George and Prince Rupert, has been the site of numerous disappearances and murders since 1969. While the exact victim count remains contested, the disproportionate impact on Indigenous women has sparked a national movement and long-overdue efforts to address systemic safety failures.

The Highway of Tears spans 719 kilometres of Highway 16 in British Columbia. Since its completion in 1969, the route has been marked by a series of unsolved crimes against women. The name itself emerged in 1998 during a vigil in Terrace, British Columbia, as a way to honor the families grieving their lost loved ones. While the RCMP’s Project E-Pana estimates the number of victims at fewer than 18, Indigenous organizations suggest the figure exceeds 40. This discrepancy highlights a broader crisis; activists and researchers point to systemic racism, poverty, and the historical trauma of the Canadian Indian residential school system as factors that have left Indigenous women uniquely vulnerable.

The geography of the region complicates investigations. The highway is isolated, and the soft soil and presence of carnivorous scavengers have made the recovery of remains difficult. For decades, a lack of public transportation forced many residents—particularly those living in poverty—to rely on hitchhiking to reach work, school, or medical care. This necessity, combined with a lack of cellular service along vast stretches of the road until late 2024, created a dangerous environment. Critics have long argued that media coverage and police resources were historically inadequate, noting that the 2002 disappearance of Nicole Hoar, a white woman, drew significantly more attention than the cases of Indigenous victims.

Government accountability has also been a point of contention. In 2015, British Columbia’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, released a report titled Access Denied. It revealed that government officials had engaged in a practice called 'triple deleting'—deleting emails from folders and overriding backups—to destroy records related to the Highway of Tears and avoid freedom-of-information requests. Despite these systemic hurdles, community-led advocacy has driven change. Following a 2006 symposium, recommendations led to the implementation of a subsidized bus service in 2017 and the installation of 5G cell towers in 2024, marking a slow but necessary shift toward improving safety in the region.

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